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CONTACT BOB
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REGIONAL BROADBAND:
STILL WAITING FOR LABOR TO FIND ITS WAY
The Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Bob Baldwin, has attacked the Rudd-Gillard Government for failing to deliver broadband for regional and remote Australia.
“Labor’s regional minister, Simon Crean, is delivering rhetoric, not results, for regional Australia,” Mr Baldwin said.
The Minister for Regional Australia, Simon Crean, told Parliament on 24 November:
“…we will deliver better services, particularly to people in regional and remote communities.” HANSARD, 24 NOVEMBER 2010
“For those in regional and remote Australia who will miss out on a fibre connection in Labor’s National Broadband Network (NBN), Labor isn’t delivering any new technology or faster speeds than what the Coalition could have already delivered under the OPEL Networks contract,” Mr Baldwin said.
In June 2007, the former Coalition Government announced the OPEL network, which would have delivered 12 megabits per second wireless broadband to nearly 900,000 households in regional and remote Australia.
The Rudd-Gillard Government has announced that 7 per cent of premises will get the same 12 megabits per second wireless or satellite broadband under Labor’s NBN.
“The OPEL network, a partnership between Optus and Elders, would have been completed in June 2009 – nearly 18 months ago.
“In April 2008, the Rudd-Gillard Government announced it was abandoning the OPEL Networks contract; yet when Labor cancelled the contract they had no plan to deliver broadband for regional and remote Australia,” Mr Baldwin said.
Labor’s Minister for Broadband, Senator Stephen Conroy, said at the time of cancelling the contract:
“…the Government will call for comments on policy and funding initiatives to improve access to affordable broadband in these remote areas into the future.” PRESS RELEASE, SENATOR STEPHEN CONROY, 2 APRIL 2008 (
“Three and a half years after the previous Coalition Government signed the agreement with OPEL, Labor have still not delivered broadband for regional and remote Australia.
“Labor needs to immediately explain how many more years those in regional and remote Australia will be waiting for Labor to deliver a wireless broadband service,” Mr Baldwin said.
The Minister for Regional Australia, Simon Crean, told Parliament on 24 November:
“…regional Australia is clamouring for the rollout of the National Broadband Network.” HANSARD, 24 NOVEMBER 2010
“For those of us who, unlike Minister Crean, live in regional Australia, we know that many households will miss out on a fibre connection and that, for them, all the NBN means is a wireless broadband connection that could have been delivered more than 18 months ago,” Mr Baldwin said.
Mr Baldwin has demanded the Rudd-Gillard Government explain why households who won’t get a fibre connection are still waiting to get a wireless broadband connection.
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